"What happens in Vegas"... Will likely end up on this site. Sorry, Las Vegas Chamber.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Occupy Las Vegas, Occupy Congress, Occupy the Vote

We've heard plenty about what may have happened when Occupy Las Vegas moved Downtown yesterday. I wanted to share with you what I thought was the most poignant part, which was the part that did not receive all that much media attention.

Take a look at the video above... And these photos below.

Look at the 99% here. They were carrying signs and shouting out sound bites, yet they were also sending an important message directly to Nevada's Congressional delegation, especially Senator Dean Heller (R-Tea Party) and Rep. Joe Heck (R-Tea Party). While the G-O-TEA duo were promoting their "Balanced Budget Amendment" hogwash (since they are not actually interested in balancing any budget, all they want is another excuse to destroy America's social safety net), Nevadans were outside Heller's Las Vegas office and asking him to focus on what Americans really need: JOBS!

And interestingly enough, Heller's former colleague (and Heck's opponent last year) came by to address the crowd. She delivered this same message.

Dina Titus obviously has a different perspective on Congress, since she was briefly a member of Congress (and plans to return there in 14 months). Still, I see more here.

However, we just can't forget. We can't forget the importance of getting involved, contacting our members of Congress, building a real movement, and ultimately using our votes to change what we don't like. That's the beauty of our system, and that's something we should never feel compelled to give up.

We can't wait for job creation. And we can't wait for an end to Congress' charade games that keep threatening middle class families. We need real, bold action on job creation. And if the current G-O-TEA House majority prevents Congress from acting, then we need to change Congress by occupying the vote.